A Sun Also Shines
by Sunni D. Lockhart
Summary: A Princess of water lost her life out of desire to do good. A Princess of flames fell from her place in the sun out of her desire for security. A girl facing nothing but bounty, and a girl facing nothing but emptiness. A mirror reflects, and also shines.


A Sun Also Shines

_The Moon reflects the light of the Sun_

_Does the Sun then think itself brighter?_

_A smaller being is the Moon_

_Does the Sun then think itself Mightier?_

_It's only when Moon draws near_

_That the Sun will ever Set_

_Does this mean then, one might ask,_

_That they have never met?_

Dark and cold and lonely were the prison cells of the palace grand. A fallen princess who, in her wretched mourning, was cast down from her place in the sun lay upon her feather bed. She was beautiful, this poor woman who had so shamefully been abused.

The sun did not rise for Azula any longer.

Her brother had determined her fate to be as such, despite calls for her death. Many feared him to be too kind to such a creature. In a way, he loved his sister, despite her bitter countenance. His situation in life had never been one of idle happiness, not exempting the actions of Azula. But that is another story entirely.

Her once longer ebony hair was now cut short. Her extravagant royal robes had been traded for ones more suited for a prisoner. Her eyes remained the same. Full of fire. Full of life. Full of anger.

She turned on her side, facing the center floor. A few streams of moonlight had seeped in between the iron crossed bars of her window. She made no physical reaction, but was pleased that some semblance of the sun had managed to find her all the same.

"_Azula, Azula"_

A voice from above seemed to float from the heavens to the Princess in a tone that held a restrained urgency. Was her mind slipping back into that state of fragility that had destroyed her so decidedly before, she thought? For how was she now hearing voices once again?

It did not sound like her mother. No, she had long since gone and vanished. Who then? What then? She had thought she had severed all connections to once loved ones.

"_Azula? Azula?"_

The voice trembled, like it was now afraid that she might disappear. She answered, "Who's there?" There was a pause, like the being had sighed in relief.

"_You don't know me, but I know you. I know you, Azula."_

Now interested, and convinced she was NOT insane, she sat up from her bed, "That doesn't give me a very clear idea. What is your name?"

"_I had one…once. But I traded it away. I gave many things away, like you did…"_

This answer surprised her. When she had been revered, she was never given a cryptic answer to a direct question. "I gave nothing away," she grumbled, "It was taken from me."

"_You can't take something someone doesn't believe is there. You gave away your goodness, Azula, because HE convinced you that you didn't have it."_

Now thoroughly confused, she sputtered, "Why are you telling me all this? What interest do you have in me?"

The room began to glow with white, clean light. A slender, ghostly young woman appeared before her from the tiny moonbeams streaming through the window. Azula held her breath. She looked so very godly in her flowing robes. Her hair was white, and her eyes were blue. She glided effortlessly towards the wretched girl, and outstretched her hand.

"_I care because you are like me, Azula. You have lost a great deal, but you have much strength to draw upon. Don't be afraid, for Zuko will release you when the time comes. You must not be afraid of me, for I am going to help you…"_

She wanted to reach out her hand to this girl, but found that she could not. She could only stare in a trance-like stupor and marvel at the deity present in her cell. The young girl smiled sadly, and drew away from the Princess. Azula asked with as much clarity as she could muster, "Who are you?"

"…_I'm a friend."_

She vanished.

**A/N:** Chapter 6 for TNMD is coming, I swear. It's really long. I felt bad that I can't post anything new yet, so I thought I'd post this little bauble I wrote awhile ago. It's a little cliché and not very long, but maybe if I pick up the pace with my other projects I might make something of it.

Am I the only one who thinks Yue and Azula BELONG with one another? They're like the perfect polar opposites, but alike in so many ways! Anyway, I don't think I've ever seen anyone put them together, so I'm going to try it.


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